Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service launched in 2010. The app allows users to import, edit, and share media with hashtags or geographical locations. Instagram users can follow their desired users, making up their personal feed.
However, some users have reported a problem where Instagram automatically follows unknown accounts. This happens when you’re randomly following unfamiliar users or whom you’ve never seen before. In this guide, we’ll tell you why you’re following random accounts on Instagram and how to fix the IG automatically follow issues on your account.
Read on to learn more.
Table of Contents
Does Instagram Automatically Follow Accounts?
No. Besides receiving occasional follow recommendations and other notifications, Instagram won’t automatically follow accounts without your consent. While this doesn’t mean that your account will be blocked soon, there’s a possibility of your account being compromised by an unknown user.
So, if you’re asking, “why am I following random accounts on Instagram?” here are some common reasons why this happens:
- Your account is compromised by third-party apps.
- An unknown user has remote access or is hacking into your account to follow people at random.
A similar issue is when you are no longer getting updates from accounts that you already follow. In this case, it can be useful to check for signs you’ve been restricted on Instagram.
How to Stop Instagram Automatically Follows Issue
Stopping this issue is easy as long as you know the proper methods. Remember to review each fix and see which one is most effective for your Instagram account. If you are already following too many accounts, then you may be interested in How to Mass Unfollow on Instagram.
Fix #1: Remove All Linked Third-party Apps
One common cause of the Instagram auto-follow issue is third-party apps, specifically, apps that are linked to your Instagram account. These apps contain permissions that sometimes give the app access to your followers.
Suspicious apps given permission can be easily used to auto-follow random profiles. Not only are these apps harmful, but acts such as auto-following can get you flagged by Instagram as a bot or spam account.
To remove all linked third-party apps on your Instagram account, follow these steps:
- Visit Instagram’s web version on your computer and log in to your account.
- Select your Profile thumbnail and choose the Settings (Gear) icon to open the Options menu.
- Under Settings, choose Apps and Websites.
- You will now see all the apps and sites linked to your Instagram account.
- Select all apps and sites and remove them. Refresh the page to check if they’re now unlinked.
- Log in to your Instagram account via the app on your phone and see if it still follows random accounts.
If you want to boost engagement with your followers, it’s important to stay on top of trends such as reversing audio and dance challenges. Learn how to reverse audio on Instagram here.
Fix #2: Log Out of Your Instagram Account on All Devices and Change Your Password
If the problem still exists, there’s a high chance that someone has remote access to your account. It may be hacked or logged in to an unknown person’s phone. To verify this, you’ll first need to see your login activity. To do this, proceed to these steps:
- Launch Instagram on your smartphone.
- Go to your Profile and select the Options (Hamburger icon) button.
- Choose Settings > Security and tap Login Activity.
- Under the Where You’re Logged In section, you will see all devices where you’ve been recently signed in.
- To remove all of them, select the three dots icon on the right side of each device name and choose Log out.
Note: It’s essential to log out of all devices on the list to ensure that you’re the only one with access to your account.
Once logged out, you will now be prompted to change your password. If not, here’s how you can change your Instagram account’s password:
- Select your Profile and choose the Options icon.
- Choose Settings > Security and select Password.
- You’ll be asked to type in your Current password once and your New password twice. Make sure to use a unique password not used on any of your online accounts.
Additionally, you can turn on two-factor authentication on your account. This feature adds security to your Instagram account upon logging in.
To set up two-factor authentication on your account, do the following:
- Select your Profile and go to Options > Settings.
- Choose Security and select Two-Factor Authentication.
- Tap Get Started and choose your desired security method. You can choose between an Authentication App (like Google Authenticator) or a Text Message.
Important: Remember to update your phone number to successfully receive the six-digit codes sent to you by the app.
- After choosing a security method, the app will send a confirmation code to the phone number registered to your account.
- Type in the code and select Next. You can now log in to your Instagram account using two-factor authentication.
If you want to level up your ‘gram game, also read how to hide posts from someone on Instagram. We can also help you fix the Instagram 5xx Server Error.
Final Thoughts
Instagram is a famous social media platform where you can share photos and videos with other users. You can also follow your desired users to make up your personal feed. However, users have experienced Instagram autofollowing random accounts.
Hence, this guide hopefully helps you to fix the IG automatically follow problem. If you’re flagged as a spam account due to this issue, contact Instagram Support for further help.